


If You Ask For Help, Does It Make You Weak?

by parkerxheart



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Child Abuse, Classic May's Boyfriend Fic, Comfort, Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Fluff, Fluff, Hugging, Hugs, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Iron Dad, Iron dad and Spider son, Peter Parker Angst, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Poor Peter Parker, Pre-Spider Bite Peter Parker, Pre-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Timeline? Whats that, Tony Hugs Peter, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Victim Blaming, Whump, Worried Tony Stark, cuteness, spiderson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-10-25 10:47:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17723735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parkerxheart/pseuds/parkerxheart
Summary: When Peter was a little kid, Tony Stark became a family friend of his.When he was thirteen, May met someone.And that once carefree, innocent, bright child left Peter's body as his life went downhill all too quickly.ORThe classic May's boyfriend abuses Peter trope.





	1. Mirror Mirror On The Wall

Tony Stark first walked into, more accurately was invited to, Peter Parker's life when the boy was only six.

Young Peter and his aunt were out and about, cruising the streets of New York. Tony just so happened to be picking something up from the Drycleaners, which he decidedly did not want to do, when they crossed paths.

A man in a ski mask leapt out from god knows where and with a swift snap of his arm, collected May's purse in his hand and dashed off, right at Tony's direction.

"Hey!" Tony barked, grabbing the man's jacket sleeve before he could run by. "Did your mother not teach you manners?"

The man looked at him and a terrified expression immediately crossed his face. "You're Tony Stark."

"Darn right I am, now let go of this poor woman's bag," Tony snapped, and the man immediately released the bag from his grasp and dashed off. He delicately held the black bag in his hand for a moment before turning her way, to be greeted by two pairs of wide eyes.

"Oh, thank you so much!" May said breathlessly, standing in front of Tony with Peter timidly holding her hand.

"No problem," Tony said, handing the bag to her. He glanced down at Peter, who shyly smiled and looked away.

May froze right in the middle of grabbing her bag back. "Are you Tony Stark?"

"Yeah, nice to meet you," Tony said politely.

"I'm May, this is my nephew Peter." She gestured down to the little boy next to her.

"Hi," Peter said softly, kicking at the ground.

"Hi," Tony returned. This kid was adorable.

May pushed up her glasses. "I know you're probably very busy, which I understand, but would you let me invite you to dinner to thank you?"

Tony blinked. "I'm not busy really. Sure, I can come."

They exchanged cellphone information and Tony smiled once more at Peter before remembering the Drycleaners. "I'll see you guys later tonight. Text me your address?"

May smiled warmly. "Of course. Thank you again."

-

The apartment building May and Peter were living in was decent.

Tony got a couple curious looks with his expensive suit and sunglasses as he entered the elevator, and got one _"You're Tony Stark"_ during his trip up the building.

He strolled down the numerous doors before finding the one that May had said was hers.

He gave it a couple knocks before the same woman whose bag he saved opened the door. She was dressed in a tight beige tank top and high waisted jeans with her hair falling down her back like a waterfall.

"Hi!" she said brightly. "Peter, look who's here!" she called over her shoulder and a small head poked out from around the corner. "Come in," she said to Tony.

"Peter, come say hi," May said and Peter slowly walked up to Tony. He had on a tiny hoodie and sweatpants and wasn't wearing anything on his feet.

"Hi, Mr. Stark," Peter said with the same shyness as earlier.

"Hi, Peter," Tony said, kneeling down to match the boy's height. "You can call me Tony."

"'Kay," Peter said quietly, awkwardly shifting his weight on his feet.

"Dinner's just about ready," May said. "I hope you don't mind Meat Loaf."

"I'll eat anything," Tony said, straightening up again, and May laughed.

About ten minutes later he was sitting at a small round table eating a meat loaf and convinced himself that he didn't _really_ mind it, even though it was rubbery and didn't taste like meat loaf. He keep glancing sideways at Peter, who was quietly working on his dinner.

May was easy to be around.

She never let there be awkward silences and always had something to say.

"Peter, why don't you show Tony your Lego creation," May said, clearing the table once dinner was finished.

"Uh, okay," Peter said, hopping down from his seat.

Tony smiled at May before following Peter down the hall into his room.

It was clear that May didn't have a lot of extra money.

Between the apartment and the under furnished rooms, it was obvious.

Peter's room consisted of a small single bed with a navy blue comforter, a couple Star Wars posters plastered on his wall, a bean bag chair propped in the corner, a rainy blue rug, a bin with the lid off and filled with Legos, and a tiny closet.

In the center of the room was a pretty impressive looking Lego spaceship, still in progress, with a pile of Lego bricks pushed off to the side.

"This is my Millennium Falcon," Peter said, plopping down next to it, crossing his legs. "I'm almost done making it."

"Wow, that's really cool," Tony said, genuinely impressed by Peter's skill. His eyes flicked around the floor. "I don't see instructions anywhere."

"Oh, I didn't want to use those," Peter said.

Tony raised his eyebrows. "You got skills, kid."

Peter blushed a little and gave a small smile. "Thanks." He shuffled a little closer to the ship. "Do you want to help me finish it?"

Tony shrugged. "Sure."

Peter dug through the pile of Lego bricks and pushed a long one towards Tony. "This one goes here."

Twenty minutes and two cramped legs later, the thing was done and Peter smiled widely at it. "It's great. Thanks, Tony."

"Yeah, it looks really good, kid," Tony said, standing up.

When it came time for Tony to return to Stark Industries, May shook his hand. "It was a pleasure having you over," she said. "Will we see you again sometime?"

"Sure you will," Tony said.

"Well, we'll see you around," May said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Tony noticed how she hardly ever referred to just herself. She was always talking about both her and Peter, which proved that they were incredibly close and did everything together.

Right before he was about to turn to leave, Peter rushed up to him from the living room. "Wait," he squeaked, and stopped right in front of the billionaire. "Um, is it okay if I give you a hug?"

Tony had most certainly never hugged a little kid before. He never really hugged anyone. He knew the exact amount of hugs he'd shared in his life, eleven. In is entire life.

But looking down at this small, innocent, adorable little kid caused him to kneel down and open his arms. Peter wrapped his arms around Tony's torso and rested his head on Tony's shoulder. Tony closed his arms around Peter's body and hugged him for a couple seconds.

Peter released and smiled shyly. "Can you come back sometime?"

Tony smiled. "Of course. Seeya, kid."

And he did.

May had become a friend of his quickly and was considering himself a friend of Peter's. The boy got less and less shy around him every time he visited, and around January they built a Lego set together.

"So how's school going, kid?" Tony asked in the middle of building a set.

"Pretty good," Peter said. "I usually hang out with my best friend Ned."

"What do you guys do?"

"Usually we play on the playground at recess, but after school we watch movies and build things together," Peter said, poking through his pile of bricks. "Sometimes at recess we play with Michelle."

"Michelle huh," Tony said, nudging Peter's shoulder.

"Wha- no! It's not anything like that," Peter sputtered.

Tony laughed. "I'm messing with you."

Peter laughed too. "Okay."

"Tony?" May said as Tony was about to leave that night after Peter went to sleep. "Would it be completely insane to ask you to pick Peter up after school tomorrow? I have to work longer and I don't think I'd be able to get him." Tony was about to respond but she kept talking. "I know you've got a busy schedule and everything, so I can check with one of my friends from work if you can't, which is completely fine-"

"May," Tony interrupted. "Of course I can pick him up."

May's face flooded with relief. "Oh, thank you so much!" She paused before quickly throwing her arms around Tony, who reciprocated instantly. "I really appreciate it, thank you."

"It's just Midtown Elementary, right?" Tony asked and May nodded and released.

"Just bring him here and watch him till I come home? I don't think I'll be past 4," she said.

Tony nodded. "Sure, I'll do that."

"Peter really likes you," May said, looking at his door which had a little sign that read _Peter's Room_ in messy blue printing.

"He's a good kid," Tony said, feeling quite happy that Peter really liked him. "I'm glad I saved your bag."

May laughed. "Me too. You've been so good to us."

-

As good as it all was, as the poetic Robert Frost once said, nothing gold can say.

Tony slowly became more and more occupied with Iron Man and Stark Industries, finding less and less time to spend with the Parkers, as much as he loved doing it.

His inner pessimist slowly convinced him that being around Peter would just put him in danger, as it had done with Pepper too many times. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Peter.

He visited the Parkers twice a month if he could and picked Peter up a couple of times from school when May couldn't, but that was about it.

May opened up to Tony about the death of her husband, Ben, which was the main reason she didn't have a lot of extra money.

"I'm so sorry for your loss," Tony said empathetically.

"Thank you," May said.

"I can help you, you know," Tony said gently. "I'd be glad to help you financially or any way you need."

"Tony, I . . ." May trailed off. "I . . . I appreciate your generosity. I really do. But I can't accept money from you."

"May," Tony said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I would be perfectly happy helping you out. You think I have an issue with money?"

May looked at Tony. "Really?"

"I'll transfer you a couple thousand a month," Tony said and May's eye widened. She opened her mouth to protest but Tony said, "May, It's okay."

"I . . . thank you, Tony," May said, enveloping him in a hug. "Thank you so much."

Tony hugged her back tightly. "You're so welcome."

Things went on like this for years.

When Tony flew a nuke through a wormhole in space, May called him a couple hours after asking if he was okay.

When he fought the Mandarin, he got a call from Peter saying that he did a good job.

It was after Ultron that things really started to go downhill.

He found out that May had met someone at work who was recently hired.

"His name is Reilly," Peter said when Tony picked him up from school and asked about it. "She's inviting him over a lot and making these weird lovey faces at him."

"Huh," Tony mused.

"It's disgusting," Peter added. He was silent for a second. "Why don't we see you as much as we used to?"

Tony drummed his fingers on the steering wheel of the car. "I don't know. I've been really busy."

"With Iron Man and everything?"

Tony nodded and looked at Peter for a second. "You should come intern for me."

Peter blinked. "I-intern for you? Like- like how?"

"Help me with some stuff, work in the lab, all that fun stuff, you know?"

"B-but why me?"

"Because you're smart as hell," Tony said. "May tells me about your grades. I'd love to have you intern for me."

"Wow, really?" Peter said with wide-eyes.

"You'll come to the tower once a week for a couple hours, stay overnight if you have to," Tony said, already planning everything in his head.

"I'd love to," Peter said with a smile. "Thank you so much."

"And I'd pay you of course."

Peter's eyes just about popped out of his head. "You- you don't have to pay me."

"You should get a little money, kid," Tony said. Even though Peter was thirteen and in high school now, Tony still called him kid. It stuck from when he was six. "You don't have a job or anything, I assume."

"Thank you, Tony," Peter said as they pulled into the parking lot of Peter's apartment building. "Thank you so much."

"I'll sort out the details with May, okay?" Tony said, patting Peter's shoulder.

"Okay!" Peter chirped.

"Oh also," Tony said, stopping Peter from exiting the car. "The whole thing with this Reilly character . . . you just let me know what happens, okay?"

"Sure," Peter said. "Bye, Tony."

If Tony had known what was in store for Peter in the months to come, he would have ended what May and Reilly had that very second.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all enjoyed <3


	2. Hope Is A Dangerous Thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are so awesome. The response this fic is getting is wonderful. Hope you enjoy this one, there's angst coming ;)

Peter didn't like Reilly.

It's not like he was really mean or anything, but he wasn't particularly nice either.

And there was _something_ about him that made Peter shiver. He didn't know if it was the glances he sometimes gave him at dinner that made him want to crawl into a corner and hide, or if it was his green eyes that looked like emeralds, or how he never smiled at anything Peter said.

He'd laugh a lot at May's jokes and give her smiley looks and tease her jokingly.

Reilly liked her a lot and she liked him a lot.

It didn't take that much brain power to figure that out.

He was good looking. A tall, muscular figure with tamed caramel blond hair and a charming smile.

"Reilly, do you think you could drive Peter to school tomorrow?" May asked at dinner one night and Peter's head immediately snapped up and he made eye contact with Reilly.

"Uh, I think Tony could probably take me," Peter suggested.

"Who's Tony?" Reilly asked, holding eye contact.

"Just a friend," May said. "Peter interns for him."

"Are you talking about Tony Stark?" Reilly asked, looking at May disbelievingly.

"He's wonderful," May said and Peter got nervous. "He's helped us out a lot."

"Huh," Reilly said, poking at his peas. "I'm sure he's very busy. I can take Peter, it's fine."

"I can call Tony," Peter tried, for some reason really not wanting to get into a car with Reilly.

"I'll take you," Reilly said firmly and that somehow made Peter shut up. "I'll be in the parking lot at 8:00, okay?"

"Y-yeah, okay," Peter sputtered.

_Oh god._

-

Reilly's car was parked in the parking lot at 8:00, like he had said.

Peter made sure to get there at exactly 8:00, for some reason really nervous. His heart was pounding.

He opened the passenger door and slid into the seat, placing his backpack on the floor. "Hi," he said awkwardly.

"Hi," Reilly grumbled, turning on the ignition. "Just for the record, I didn't want to do this."

Peter blinked at him twice. "But . . . I said Tony could drive me."

"Shut up about Tony," Reilly snapped and Peter's blood went cold. "I did this for May, not you. Just remember that." He sped out of the parking lot and headed down the highway.

"O-kay," Peter said, sitting further in his seat.

Reilly was a decent driver, and drove Peter to school smoothly. Peter saw Ned waiting for him through the windows to Midtown High.

"Thank you for the ride," Peter said, opening up the door.

"Whatever," Reilly said with an eyeroll.

Peter slipped his backpack over his shoulders and shut the door. Reilly floored it out of there the second Peter shut the door.

"Who the hell was that?" Ned asked as soon as Peter entered the school.

"Reilly," Peter said. "He's May's . . . _friend._ "

"Since when?"

"A week ago, I think," Peter said. "I dunno, something about him gives me the chills."

"Huh," Ned said.

-

May invited Tony over for dinner that night, which Peter usually would have been over the moon about. He had missed Tony a lot. But he remembered Reilly getting salty every time Tony was brought up, and a shiver was sent down his spine when the door opened.

"Hi!" May said, giving Tony a one armed hug, then gestured to Reilly. "This is Reilly."

"Hello," Reilly said.

"Hey," Tony said, reaching out to shake Reilly's hand.

They both made eye contact for a couple of seconds.

"Hey, Tony," Peter said from the couch, smiling warmly.

"What, no hug?" Tony said and Peter laughed and crossed the room to envelop the billionaire in his arms, catching Reilly's eye for a split second. Those green eyes showed nothing short of anger and malice which made Peter's heart pound before he was buried in Tony's chest.

Tony hugged Peter tightly for a couple seconds before letting go and smiling. "How are you doing?"

"Pretty good, how about you?"

"Swell, thank you for asking," Tony said, slipping an arm around Peter's shoulders and heading for the kitchen. "Man am I hungry."

"May didn't burn it this time I think," Peter laughed.

 _"Hey,"_ May said, pointing a finger at him.

No, she didn't burn it, but the steak was a little under-cooked and the potatoes certainly weren't "baked."

Needless to say, Tony complimented May's concoction, as always.

"So, Tony," Reilly said about a third of the way through dinner. "May says Peter interns for you?"

"He does," Tony said, placing his hand on Peter's shoulder. "And he's awesome at it. One of the smartest people I've ever met."

Peter felt his cheeks heat up and smiled meekly.

"Huh," was all Reilly said before getting back to his food. He gave Peter a tiny glare from across the table for a quick second.

When it came time for Tony to leave, Peter got an uneasy feeling in his stomach.

"Bye," Peter said, wrapping his arms around Tony softly.

"Bye, kiddo, seeya on Wednesday," Tony said, hugging Peter back.

"Nice meeting you," Reilly said with a nod.

"You too," Tony said neutrally. He turned to May. "Bye, May." He gave her a quick one armed hug and turned and left, just like that.

"So that was Tony," May said, shutting the door.

Reilly just nodded. "So it was."

They all played a game of cards at around 8:00 pm.

"Hearts?" May suggested, shuffling the cards in her nimble hands. She'd always been good at shuffling.

"Sure, what ever you want," Reilly said charmingly, flashing May a smile.

"Peter?" May looked at him.

"Oh, yeah, Hearts is fine," Peter sputtered, feeling Reilly's eyes on him.

They played Hearts to 100 points, Reilly being neutral to Peter the entire time, forcing a smile and a laugh when Peter laid the Queen of Spades on him one hand.

Once the game ended, May excused herself to the bathroom.

"Clean up," Reilly said, throwing his cards on the table.

"O-okay," Peter said, collecting the cards into a pile.

Peter escaped to his room after that.

Around 10:00 at night, Reilly still had not vacated from the apartment.

"You, um, staying over?" Peter asked softly.

"I am," Reilly said, looking him dead in the eyes. Peter hated making eye contact with him. It always made him shudder.

"Where- where are you sleeping?" Peter pressed. _Please don't say May's room._

"Just in the guest room," Reilly said, waving his hand. "Why?"

"Just wondering," Peter said, and then took off for his room.

He couldn't sleep that night. He messed around on his phone for a while and finished up any homework and stared at the glow-in-the-dark stars on his ceiling that had been there for an eternity. Every time he blinked, he saw Reilly's eyes, bright green and deadly piercing.

_Thump, thump, thump._

Blood running cold, Peter sat straight up in his bed.

The door to his room slowly opened and even in the darkness of the apartment, Reilly's form was clear and there, staring at him with those eyes that Peter could feel tracing his body.

Without a single warning, Reilly was leaping across the room, grabbing Peter from his bed and driving his fist twice into Peter's stomach and throwing him to the floor. A heavy breath flew from Peter's mouth as he landed hard on his side. His stomach ached painfully. Then a sharp pain was spread through his rib-cage as Reilly's heel was brought down hard on it, causing a strangled yelp from Peter as he covered his head with his hands. Then Reilly's hand was shoved over his mouth hard, slamming his head against the floor.

"I want you to listen to me," Reilly hissed, using his knee to painfully pin one of Peter's arms to the floor. Peter grunted against his hand, hot tears burning his eyes and a thousand confused thoughts spiraling through his head and a deep ache in his stomach and ribs. "What you did today was a huge fucking mistake."

Peter grunted against his hand again. Reilly's voice was quiet enough that May wouldn't hear him from her room.

"Next time Stark steps a foot in this apartment, I swear to God I'll do this again," Reilly said, pressing harder on Peter's mouth and he squeaked. "If you dare tell him or May about this, I will make your life a fucking hell, do you understand?"

Peter squeezed his eyes shut and nodded, trying desperately to keep his tears in.

"Good." Reilly released Peter's mouth and got off his arm, and without anything else, left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

Peter couldn't move. He was just hit and kicked and threatened. Reilly _beat_ him. Peter let out a throaty moan and forced himself to sit up, causing a burst of pain in his stomach, causing tears to spring into his eyes and fall down his cheeks. He slowly got onto his feet, tears streaming down his face like rivers, and walked over to his lamp, his arm strewn across his stomach, and flicked it on. He lifted his shirt in front of the mirror and inspected his injuries.

There was a dark bruise forming on the left side of his torso and one on his stomach. He gingerly brushed his fingers across the one on his stomach, and even that caused a tiny bit of tingling pain. Peter sobbed silently and didn't bother to wipe away his tears. He slowly dragged himself into bed, wincing harshly as his injuries made contact with the mattress and rolled onto his back, tears blurring the glow of the stars, making them electric blue blobs in his vision.

Silent sobs rattling his form, Peter cried himself to sleep, tears sinking into his pillow case and darkness enveloping him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed <3 Next chapter should be out within the next week :)
> 
> Also I've already written a lot of this fic already and I was really hesitant to post this one so soon, but I guess there's a schedule coming. Every Wednesday and Sunday folks. Stick around :)


	3. In The Scale Of Thing's It's Unimportant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is up now because i couldn't wait to get it out. Hope you guys enjoy

Peter woke up with a dull pain in his injuries. He groaned and gently touched them with his fingertips, wincing at the pain.

He wanted to call Tony.

He wanted to tell someone.

But he couldn't.

Peter forced himself to get out of bed and into the shower. Thankfully, the bruises hadn't gotten that coloured and didn't hurt unless he touched them.

He felt Reilly's fist driving into his stomach and his heel being brought down onto his ribcage and his rough hand covering his mouth, keeping his noises in. Peter had never been hurt like this before. He'd fallen off his bike and had the occasional whacking his shin on something sticking out, but never anything like this.

Peter cried in the shower, letting his sobs get drowned out by the noise from the shower. He sank onto the floor, crying into his knees as the water splattered across his bare, vulnerable, bruised skin, dripping into the drain.

He didn't want to go to school.

He really, really didn't want to go to school.

He could go to the tower and stay with Tony for a while.

He could skip class and hang out in the library.

The tap was covered in droplets as Peter runed it to the right, shutting off the flow of water from the shower head and stepped out, a cold air hitting his skin.

He towelled himself off and got dressed before heading into the kitchen to grab a little bit of breakfast. May walked out of her room right around then.

"Hey," she said, yawning. "How was your sleep?"

Peter wanted to cry again.

"Fine," he forced out, not hungry anymore. "You're driving me, right?"

"Yup," May said. "Just let me grab my shoes."

-

Tony picked Peter up after school that day, and Peter immediately slammed into him with an utterly crushing hug. Even though it hurt his ribcage injury, he didn't care.

"Whoa," Tony laughed, embracing Peter. "Missed me that much, huh?"

Tears slipped from Peter's eyes, as much as he tried to contain them.

"Hey," Tony said gently, holding him at arm's length. "Kid, what's wrong?"

"I've just had a shitty couple of days," Peter said vaguely, wiping his face with the backs of his hands. He hated himself for crying.

"Is that Flash kid bothering you again?" Tony asked.

And so, Peter had to lie.

"Yeah, and I've been getting nightmares again," he lied, even though it hurt as much as Reilly's foot against his ribcage or fist against his stomach.

"Awe," Tony said, rubbing Peter's arm. "You wanna talk about it?"

Peter shook his head. "No, I'm fine, sorry."

Tony didn't push it any further. He lead Peter to his car and they drove back to Peter's apartment in almost complete silence.

"Thanks," Peter said, reaching for the door handle.

"Kid," Tony said softly. "If you ever want to talk, I'm here."

Peter forced down any tears. "Okay. Thanks, Tony."

He watched Tony drive away that day with tears in his eyes.

The horror that came over him when he saw that Reilly was in the apartment alone sent ice through his veins.

Peter quickly took off his shoes and jacket and made a beeline for his room.

Then there was a tug on the collar of his shirt and he was sent backwards, smashing into the wall, painfully hitting the back of his head. He managed to choke out a pained "ah" before Reilly's rough hand was back over his mouth, shoving his head further against the wall.

"You were in Stark's car," Reilly sneered. "You know what happens when you spend time with him."

Peter squeezed his eyes shut and felt Reilly's knee jam into his stomach and cried out against his hand. His head was slammed against the wall one more time before Reilly released his shirt from his hand and Peter collapsed to the floor.

"Don't like that, huh?" Reilly said in a terrifyingly monotoned voice, kneeling next to Peter. "Then you better fucking stop spending time with Stark."

Peter scrambled up onto his feet and took off for his room, shutting the door behind him and locking it. He felt the back of his head, and his fingers traced a bump that was beginning to form. Peter clenched his teeth as tears seared down his cheeks slowly.

If Reilly found out that he was with Tony, he'd hurt him. He'd hurt him badly. He'd hurt him until he cried.

The thought of not being able to spend time with one of the best people in his life made the tears increase and he sank to the floor like he did in the shower.

He fell asleep that night hating the present, fearing the future, and missing the past, where he could spend time with Tony without getting kicked or punched until tears accompanied him while he tried to sleep.

-

"Hey, Tony?" Peter said over the phone on Wednesday. "I- I can't come to the lab today."

"Oh? Why?" Tony said on the other end.

"I have a big project I need to do with Ned," Peter lied.

"Oh, okay. May invited me over to watch a movie with you guys on Friday anyways."

Peter froze. "O-oh?"

"Yeah . . . hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, of course," Peter said, digging his fingernails into his palms. "Sorry. I'm just stressed about the project." _Actually, I love hanging out with you and I really, really want to, but I can't, because I'm going to be hurt if I do. I'm so sorry._

"Okay," Tony said. "I'll see you Friday. Good luck on the project."

"Bye, Tony."

He shakily put his phone in his pocket and buried his face in his hands. Things escalated so quickly with Reilly. It was a glare across the table and then it suddenly turned into him _beating_ Peter. He hated how he let him do it. He hated how _weak_ he was. He hated how he couldn't tell anyone.

Because what if Reilly started hurting May?

What would he do then?

"Hey, you okay?" Ned asked during Spanish.

Peter forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm just really tired."

"Same though," Ned said. "I was up all night working on homework from Math."

-

"Peter," May said once he got home. "We need to talk."

Peter froze. "Um, okay. About what?"

"Reilly," she said. "I need to know if you don't like having him around, because we have started dating."

_Oh. Oh no._

The weight of a thousand planets was dropped onto Peter's shoulders.

This was it.

He could stop it all right here.

But he _couldn't._

He wasn't strong enough to take on Reilly himself. What if Reilly hurt May? He was happy with him. She smiled a lot and was bubbly and cheerful whenever he was around.

So Peter said, "Oh, that's okay. It's cool with me."

May beamed. "That's awesome. I'm so glad."

When Peter went to his bedroom, he cried until he couldn't cry anymore, the sobs silenced by his pillow.

-

On Friday when Tony came over, Reilly had something to do from work so he couldn't make it, and a huge breath of relief came from Peter that he didn't even know he'd been holding. He looked down at his hand which were clenched into fists and uncurled them, crescent moon nail mark embedded in his skin.

He hugged Tony before heading to the couch where May was scrolling through Netflix. "So what are we going to watch?" she said, looking through the New Releases section.

"I'm down for anything," Tony said, plopping down next to Peter.

They ended up settling on the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Peter rested his head against the side of Tony's shoulder. The man smiled at him fondly and wrapped his arm around his shoulders.

Without the constant dread of Reilly and pain he would endure from spending time with Tony, Peter managed to relax, leaning against Tony.

He wasn't sure when it was, but the lack of sleep due to fear caught up to him and he dozed off, head still against Tony's shoulder.

"Kiddo," Tony said softly, tapping him. He looked over at May. "Peter's sleeping."

May laughed and then sobered up immediately. "He hasn't been sleeping that well this past week."

"He told me he's been getting nightmares again," Tony said, brushing a stray curl out of Peter's face.

"Really?"

"Yeah." Tony sighed. "When I went to pick him up on Tuesday, he started crying."

"Oh," May said softly. "Why?"

"He said something about Flash bothering him and the nightmares." Tony sighed. "I should probably carry him to bed."

"Sure," May said, looking at her watch. "It's 9:00, so are you leaving?"

Tony slid his other arm underneath Peter's knees and pulled him into his chest. The kid wasn't very heavy. "Yeah, I better be or else Pepper might castrate me."

May barked a laugh. "Well we wouldn't want that."

Tony carried Peter into his room, nudging the door open with his foot. Peter's bedroom had changed pretty drastically over the years. With the help of Tony giving May a little money every month, a bunk bed, a desk cluttered with random stuff, shelves holding all sorts of nerdy items, and a comfy chair had been added to Peter's room.

Tony placed Peter gently on the bottom bunk of his bed and pulled the checkered quilt over him carefully. "Night, kiddo," he whispered, patting Peter's head twice.

-

Peter woke up to a rough hand yanking him out of bed and throwing him to the floor. He instinctively curled himself into a ball and a kick was thrown into his side three times. He whimpered quietly and his head was grabbed and thrust against the floor, sending stars dancing about his vision and a blinding pain through the back of his head.

"You're such a burden." Another kick. "You're a worthless waste of skin." Kick. "No one needs you."

"H-help," Peter choked out as a fist was shoved into his shoulder and a blistering pain followed.

"No one will help you," Reilly hissed.

He then realized Reilly's strategy. He steered clear of hitting Peter's face so no one would know. There would be no black eyes visible or dark bruises anywhere on his face.

Reilly gave him one last kick before shoving Peter over onto his back and pressing his hand against his forehead. "No wonder May doesn't want you around."

"Sh-she said that?" Peter whispered, tears building up in his eyes.

Reilly pinned Peter's arm down with his knee. "All you do is make more work for her. She doesn't need you. She doesn't _want_ you."

He removed his hand from Peter's face and stood up straight, and without another word, left the room, slowly closing the door behind him.

Tears went down Peter's cheeks, dripping onto the floor. He pulled himself up into a sitting position and a harsh pain went through where he was kicked and he winced. Flicking on the lamp, he looked in the mirror and lifted his shirt. "Ow," he whispered under his breath as he touched them tenderly. One of the bigger ones had a little bit of blood leaking from its center.

Peter headed for the bathroom and ruffled around in the lower cupboard for a first aid kit and tended to the bigger injury and placed a band-aid over the bleeding section.

_She doesn't want you._

_A burden._

_Worthless._

Peter texted Tony once he got back into bed.

Peter/ can't sleep are you up?

Peter let out a breath when Tony responded immediately.

Tony/ yeah, what's up?

Peter/ i just can't sleep

Tony/ nightmares?

Tears slid down Peter's cheeks.

Peter/ yeah :(  
Peter/ can you tell me a funny story or something?

Tony/ I have to think up one that's appropriate for your age

Peter/ haha

Tony/ did I ever tell you about the time me and rhodey outran some dogs and then got lost for three hours?

Peter/ no but I want to his sounds great

Peter fell asleep half-way through the story, exhaustion taking its toll, the phone slipping from his hands.

Tony/ didya fall asleep kid?  
Tony/ night, pete. seeya soon 


	4. All I Need Is The Love You Give

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all are so sweet! Thx for the wonderful responses to this fic <333

When Wednesday rolled around, Peter didn't cancel.

He really, really wanted to see Tony.

It almost made tears spring into his eyes when he saw the billionaire's sleek Audi parked next to the curb. The windows were reflective, having Peter see himself right before he opened the door and quickly climbed in.

"Hey," Tony said brightly. "How are you?"

_Horrible._

"Pretty good," Peter said, faking a smile and clicking his seat-belt into place. "You?"

"Just peachy," Tony said, putting the car into drive.

There wasn't much talking going on the entire drive. Peter forced down any negative emotions. He was with Tony. They were spending time together, like he wanted to for the past few years.

_Burden. ___

Peter's facade crumbled for just a moment.

_Worthless._

"Welcome to my humble abode," Tony said, parking the car with the other ones. It was practically a car museum in there.

"Not so humble," Peter laughed, exiting the vehicle.

He actually ended up not faking his happiness for most of the visit.

"So, how's it going with Reilly?" Tony asked in the middle of tightening a volt.

Peter squeezed the screwdriver in his hands. "Fine."

"That's good," Tony said.

_If only you knew._

_May doesn't want me around. ___

_I'm useless._

"How did the project end up?"

Peter looked up and blinked at him.

"The project with Ned? That you had to bail on last week for?"

" _Oh_ ," Peter said with a laugh. "We got an A on it, which was great."

"Nice," Tony said. "Hey do you think I should add DEDs to one of my suits to make it sort of invisible?"

"Oh yeah," Peter said. "That would be cool. Where would you get those?"

Tony shrugged. "Rhodey could probably hook me up. Hey, FRIDAY? Call Rhodey."

"Sure thing, Boss," FRIDAY said.

-

When it came time for Peter to leave, his legs didn't want to carry him to the car, the dread of going home to face Reilly coursing through his veins. He could still feel each kick and punch and movement to quieten him. He could still hear Reilly's voice telling him how worthless he was.

"So I'll transfer you your pay check by tonight," Tony said, heading to the car. "You should get pretty good cash considering you've helped with a lot of important stuff."

Peter's legs had frozen up and what Tony was saying his brain barely processed.

"Kid?" Tony said, stopping and turning around. "You good?"

Tears came to Peter's eyes and slowly fell down his cheeks.

_No one wants you._

_No one needs you._

_Worthless._

He hated that his facade kept shattering, as much as he willed it to stay together.

"Hey," Tony said gently, closing the distance between them and yanking Peter into a hug. Peter realized how much he needed the affectionate touch and relished it, drawing all the comfort out of it as possible, sinking into the embrace and wrapping his arms tightly around Tony. "What's up?"

"I dunno," Peter said, the words coming out strangled.

"Kid," Tony said softly. "Why are you crying? What's going on?"

"Nothing, I just . . . I don't know," Peter sniveled. "Sorry. We should get going." But he made no move to dislodge himself from Tony's hold.

Tony gave him a squeeze before letting go and Peter found himself craving the comfort the second he did. Peter wiped his face with his fingers and made a beeline for the car, getting into the passenger seat without looking back.

Tony didn't say anything and got into the driver's side.

The ride home was silent up until they drove into the parking lot. It was already dark out, the moon and stars present in the sky, illuminating Tony's face in white light.

"Peter, what's going on?" Tony asked softly, shifting in his seat so he could face Peter.

"Nothing, I don't know what that was, sorry," Peter said, opening the car door. "Bye, Tony. Thanks. This was fun."

He didn't wait for Tony's response and slammed the door, then took off for the building. He wanted to say something, and he knew if he was around Tony any longer he'd crack. But he had to protect May. He had to make sure she would always be safe.

Upon entering the apartment, he let out a breath when he saw both May and Reilly sitting on the couch watching Game of Thrones.

"Hi!" May said with a smile.

_She doesn't want you._

"Hey May, hey Reilly," Peter said, taking off his shoes. He hated that he said hi to Reilly like they were friends.

_You're such a burden._

"How was it?" May asked.

_You're a worthless waste of skin._

"Fun." Peter walked off to his room and locked the door behind him, pressing his back against it, heart pounding. He knew what he was in for tonight. But with the door locked, Reilly couldn't get in.

He wanted to ask for help. He wanted someone to come rescue him from this nightmare.

But he didn't want to be _weak._

He didn't want to go crying to someone because he couldn't even handle his aunt's boyfriend.

-

Peter called Tony that night with tears trailing down his face, cuddled up in his quilt on his side. He hadn't left his room since he got home and was ravenous, but was too afraid to leave.

"Hey, kiddo," Tony said once he picked up and Peter sobbed in relief. "Pete, you okay?"

"N-no," Peter whispered, a sob hitching his voice. "Do you have any stories you could tell me?"

"Peter, what's wrong?" Tony asked, a gentleness and worry in his voice that made Peter sob again. "Kid, talk to me."

"I- I'm just so stressed out and I'm always tired," Peter said softly. "Please, just tell me a story."

Tony sighed. "Okay. Did I tell you about the time I locked myself out of my own house? This was long before I ran Stark Industries. I had a regular home."

Peter sniffled. "Go- go on."

"Well, I just got back from a trip to Japan and I was _tired._ I was nineteen at this point, I believe," Tony started. "So, I got myself there and went to open up the door, just ready to flop into my bed and sleep for the next five days. Funny enough, it was locked, and my parents weren't home. I felt around in my pocket, and my dumbass realized I had left my key at the airport. In Japan."

Peter giggled a little.

"Just remember that I was delirious as hell and my brain was not working properly," Tony said. "I didn't think about maybe calling someone, so I went around in the backyard, and that's where I collapsed on the grass, in the beating sun too might I add, and slept for a couple hours before my parents found me, sprawled across our back yard, sleeping."

"Wow, good job," Peter giggled, wiping away the tear tracks on his face.

"Not one of my proudest moments," Tony said with a sigh. He paused for a beat. "Now, I want you to tell me what's going on."

"I- I just had a nightmare and couldn't get back to sleep," Peter whispered.

Tony didn't say anything for a second. "What was it about?"

"Just stuff with Ben," Peter said.

"Here, I want you to try to get some sleep if you can. Call me if you wake up again, okay?"

Peter nodded even though no one could see him. "Okay. Thank you, Tony."

"Anytime, kid," Tony said, and then the line went dead and Peter cried himself to sleep.

-

"Peter, Reilly's going to drive you to school today," May announced.

Peter just about choked on his cereal and looked up. "O-oh. Okay."

"I have to hit the road," she muttered, fiddling with her keys. "Goodbye, boys."

Peter and Reilly said nothing to each other once she left. Peter's heart pounded like a drum in his ears.

About thirty minutes later, Reilly said, "Better get going."

"Um, but you're not dressed," Peter pointed out. Reilly was still clad in his bathrobe and slippers, reading a newspaper at the table.

"What, you think I'm driving you to school after you disobeyed me _again?_ Please," he scoffed.

"But it's an hour long walk," Peter protested.

Reilly's head snapped up and a menacing glare was shot Peter's way. "When I tell you to do something, you fucking _do it._ "

Peter stood up shakily and headed for the door. He knew he was going to be thirty minutes late if he left now.

" _Peter!_ " Reilly exclaimed and Peter looked at him, terrified. "What is this?" He pointed at Peter's bowl of cereal still on the table.

"S-sorry, I-I just need to go," Peter sputtered, sliding on his shoes.

It was an impeccable amount of time that it took Reilly to cross the room and slam Peter against the wall. "You're such a fucking useless piece of shit. Clean up your dishes."

He released Peter from the wall and the teenager scrambled across the room to grab the bowl and pour the access milk down the drain and place the bowl in the sink.

"I-I have to go," Peter muttered, walking past Reilly and grabbed his backpack and jacket.

He was utterly exhausted when he finally made it to school. His legs wanted to break and his chest was about to explode. He knew there was no point in trying to get through first period so he sat down in the cafeteria after grabbing chips from the vending machine.

When second period started, Peter headed down to the Chemistry room and sat next to Ned.

"Hey, where were you?" Ned asked.

"Slept in like an idiot," Peter said with a light-hearted laugh.

"I hate it when I do that," Ned said. "Well you didn't miss much. The teacher just went on about verbs in Spanish. There wasn't a quiz or anything."

"Thank god," Peter breathed.

"Peter, you look like ass," MJ said bluntly, sitting next to him.

"Why thank you," Peter said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. But she was right.

"You good?" she asked.

"Yeah, totally," Peter said, forcing a smile. _No, help me._ "I'm just extremely tired." _I'm being abused. Help._

MJ looked at him skeptically before nodding. "Alright then."

_No, ask me about it. Please. I can't do this._

She didn't.

-

When May drove Peter home, he escaped to his room and locked the door.

He fell asleep that night tired out of his mind, but the fear was still present, and with Reilly in his life, it probably wasn't ever going to go away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter should be out by Saturday :)


	5. I Can't Shake Away The Pain

Months had passed since Reilly had entered Peter's life, and him and May were totally open about their relationship.

She didn't even have to say anything.

She was in love with him.

Dreamy eyes, beaming smiles, flirting. The whole shabang.

Every time Peter spent time with Tony, whether it be just a car-ride home or a lab day or a dinner, Reilly would hurt him, every time getting a little bit worse than the other. One more kick. One more emotionally breaking comment. He hated himself for counting, but it was all he could do.

"Please," Peter whimpered as a significantly hard kick was thrown at his shoulder.

"You're weak," Reilly hissed, kicking him again as Peter curled himself into a ball tightly. "You don't deserve to be alive."

A louder yelp escaped, and Reilly's hand was slammed over his mouth, jamming his head against the floor. He brought his fist down against Peter's chest and Peter choked on a sob against his hand.

Reilly snatched his hand back and Peter gasped through his mouth, rolling onto his side.

He heard the sound of the door shutting softly and choked on another sob, dragging himself back to his bed to check his injuries. The one on his chest particularily hurt. Peter delicately touched it with his uncontrollably shaky hand and covered his mouth with it right after to stifle a cry of pain.

"I can't," Peter whispered, barely hearing it himself, voice hitched with sobs. "I can't."

_You don't deserve to be alive._

"H-h-help," Peter choked out.

-

During PE while Ned was holding Peter's feet as he was doing situps, his eyes widened. "Dude, what happened?" He gestured at a bruise that had become visible when Peter's shirt was pulled up a little.

"Just hit myself on a table," Peter said. He remembered perfectly where that one was from.

"I hate it when that happens," Ned said, shaking his head.

Each situp hurt the bruises all over his stomach and shoulders, but he kept going.

When it was Ned's turn, Peter exhaled a sigh of relief as his injuries stopped throbbing and switched positions with Ned.

However, when a small game of basketball was to be played, a ball was thrown Peter's way, which he was thoroughly unprepared for. It hit him square in the chest with force that would hurt anyone, right where Reilly had crunched his fist against.

Peter cried out in pain and collapsed to the floor.

"Parker?" Coach Wilson said from the sidelines. "You good?"

Hand hovering above the area that kept shooting out sharp pounds of pain, Peter shook his head with tears burning his eyes. "Ow," he whimpered.

"It wasn't even that hard!" Flash shouted from the other side of the room.

Ned was then at his side, placing his hand on Peter's shoulder. "Peter?"

"I'm fine," Peter whispered, forcing himself to stand up. "I'm just gonna . . . go to the bathroom."

He booked it out of there without giving his friend a glance. The second he made it into the bathroom, tears streamed down his face. He lifted his shirt, considering the possibility that maybe a cracked rib occurred from the punch. He prodded it gently and yelped, jerking his hand back.

"Peter?"

Immediately dropping his shirt, Peter whipped his head around to see Ned with an extremely concerned expression on his face. He hadn't wiped away his tears, which probably made him look like a complete wimp.

Ned closed the distance between them and gave Peter one of the gentlest, softest hugs he'd ever received in his life. Peter gritted his teeth as a sob ripped through him and he pressed his face against Ned's shoulder.

"You okay?" Ned asked worriedly.

Peter nodded, even though he wasn't. _I'm being hurt. Help._

"Okay," Ned said, rubbing up and down on Peter's back.

Peter broke free and wiped his face with a sniffle. He always hate crying in front of his friends, but there were times when he really couldn't help it. Peter and Ned had both been fairly open about their emotions and had seen each other cry a couple of times, so if he was to break down in front of anyone, he was glad it was Ned.  
  
He remembered one of the couple times he'd seen Ned cry, when he found his friend in the bathroom, sobbing over his dog who had just died that morning. Peter had hugged him tighter than he ever had before and could feel his heart breaking as his friend cried in his arms.  
  


"How much did it hurt?" Ned asked, breaking Peter out of his daydream.

"It just hit me where I whacked myself the other day," Peter said softly, putting a paper towel under running cold water and dabbing it under his eyes to reduce the puffiness. His chest still hurt like a bitch, and as much as he tried to smother his pained expression, Ned still watched him with worried eyes.

Ned nodded and Peter tossed the paper towel in the trash bin, sniveling again. "Do you have a way to get home?" Ned asked gently. Peter looked at him. "I don't think school is the best place for you right now."

The last thing Peter wanted to do was go home to Reilly.

"May and Reilly are at work right now," he lied. "But I could probably call Tony."

Ned smiled and nodded. "Sure. I'll walk you to your locker."

Peter nearly sobbed. What did he do to deserve Ned?

When they got to Peter's locker, he pulled out his phone and dialed up Tony's number.

"Kid?" Tony said.

"H-hey, Tony," Peter said, tears springing into his eyes.

"What's up?"

"Do you think you could come pick me up?" Peter asked, digging his fingernails into the palm of his hand.

"Uh, sure. Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I just . . ." He tried to think up something but failed. "Can you just come get me?"

"O-kay," Tony said. "Seeya in twenty minutes."

Peter breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Tony."

"Sure thing, kiddo."

Peter hung up and grabbed his backpack, swinging it over his shoulder.

"I guess I'll see you Monday then," Ned said.

"Oh yeah, it's Friday," Peter said with a laugh. "Thanks for helping me out, dude."

"Of course," Ned said, opening his arms for a hug which Peter melted into.

-

The black Audi which Peter was so very familiar with pulled right up to the front of Midtown High, and Peter anxiously climbed into the passenger seat, placing his bag on the floor.

"Can we just go?" Peter said before Tony could say anything.

Tony sighed. "Peter, what's going on? You haven't been acting like yourself for a while."

Tony knew him so well and it hurt excruciatingly lying to him.

"Can we please just go?" Peter said, his voice coming out strangled.

Tony stared at him with his brown, concerned eyes before shifting the car into ignition and heading for the tower.

"Also, can you have FRIDAY check me out when we get there?" Peter asked, genuinely worried that he might have a cracked rib.

"Kid, you're freaking me out," Tony said.

"I just whacked myself really hard when I fell yesterday," Peter lied. "I just wanna see if I'm alright."

"Fine," Tony said, gripping the steering wheel. "And then you tell me what you've been hiding."

"I haven't been hiding anything!"

Tony scoffed. "Yeah right you haven't."

Tony was picking up on it all. He knew something was wrong.

"I'm not lying, I actually haven't," Peter insisted, his injuries throbbing in disapproval.

Tony exhaled hard through his nose and didn't say anything until they reached the tower and FRIDAY scanned Peter.

"Mr. Parker does indeed appear to have a cracked rib," FRIDAY announced and Peter groaned.

"Fuck," he muttered, burying his face in his hands.

"It's all good, kiddo, I've had one before," Tony said. "How did you get it?"

"I was just heading up the stairs of my school yesterday and I tripped and landed really hard on the side of the concrete staircase," Peter said, the lie coming out extremely easily. "It hurt like hell."

"Why didn't you _say something?_ " Tony said.

"I didn't think it would be that bad," Peter said as Tony rummaged through a cupboard and pulled out a bottle of Ibuprofen.

He dumped one into his hand and filled a cup with water and handed the items to Peter. "Take this and take another one in about six hours," Tony said as Peter took the things and swallowed the painkiller. Tony grabbed something from the cupboard. "Also here's some ice. Put that on it." Peter took the ice pack and placed it gently over the rib and winced at the little bit of pain.

Reilly cracked one of his ribs with a punch. Everything else had just been a bruise or a minor injury but _this._ This was different. And yet Peter kept going and lying and forcing a smile when all he wanted to do was cry and be loved and have May want him and have physical affection that he desperately needed. He wanted things to go back to the way they were, when he could be _happy._

He needed to do something, but the constant fear and dread just kept him pinned down in that great hole of worthlessness and depression.

The words slipped out before Peter knew it, in a soft, almost unaudible voice. "Tony, I-"

"Boss, Steve Rogers is calling," FRIDAY piped up, cutting Peter off.

"Patch me through," Tony said and Peter snapped his mouth closed.

He sat there, looking at his hands as Tony and Steve talked a little bit about a potential threat that they might need to take care of for a couple minutes before Tony hung up. "I gotta go, kid," he muttered, double-tapping the detachable thing on his chest and the Iron Man suit quickly covered his body. "Happy can take you home."

"O-okay," Peter said, forcing a smile. "Bye, good luck."

"Thanks," Tony laughed and the sliding door behind them opened and Tony blasted out of there, leaving Peter there alone, watching the bluish glow of the Iron Man suit slowly disappear.

_Help me._

-

"You fucking useless fuck."

Kick.

Reilly slammed his leg against his bed-frame and Peter let out a helpless, weak whimper and tears streamed down his face.

"The world would be better off without you."

Kick to the side.

"May wishes you didn't exist."

Peter imagined Iron Man bursting through the window right then and putting an end to this horror that was reality. He imagined him holding him and telling him that he was safe again and that he didn't have to be worried or hurt anymore.

When he finally left, Peter pulled his pained body into the bathroom and his dinner made a reappearance into the toilet. He hung his head as tears continued to pour down his face. The bathroom was dark, the only light coming from the window above the shower from the moonlight. Peter sat back against the wall, pressed his hands over his face, and cried silently until his eyes stung and there was a salty pool on the tiled floor. 

_Help me._

_Tony, help me._

_Please._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just about cried writing this chapter :(
> 
> Hope y'all enjoyed


	6. It's So Hard To Stop It Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really REALLY could not wait to post this which is why it's up so early. I hope you guys like it :)
> 
> Also I've been getting people asking me if this story will probe into suicidal thoughts or self harm, and I can tell you right now that no. That won't happen. I don't like writing about it that much and this story doesn't really need it I don't think. So, sorry lol if you really wanted that angst but it's not coming :)

"Parker," MJ said, standing in front of him before class started, slamming her hand down on his desk.

Peter looked up at her and blinked twice. "Hi?"

"You're going to tell me what's going on," she said, not breaking eye contact for one second.

"Nothing's going on," Peter said, like he'd been saying for the past several months.

" _Bull_ shit," MJ said. "You look like literal death 90% of the time I'm around you and you're more closed off and all your smiles are fake and you have a bruise on your stomach that you're so desperate to hide."

Peter glanced down. He forgot about hiding that. "I just whacked myself on the table and I'm just always tired recently." He was irritated at her, but scared, because she was actually catching on and recognized that Peter had been faking nearly every ounce of his happiness for a long time. He wasn't sure why he should be irritated, because even if she was speaking to him in a rude, unpleasant way, she cared and she was concerned about what was going on.

"Peter," MJ said, her voice faltering. She grabbed his wrist and started to drag him out of the room. Peter scrambled to get up out of his chair before he fell over as she pulled him out of the classroom and outside. "Here." She released his wrist and folded her arms across her chest. "It's just you and me. Tell me what's going on with you."

"I'm fine," Peter said angrily. "I'm tired of you telling me what to do." He tried to move past her but she stood in his way.

"Fuck, Peter, I'm worried about you," she said with a tone that made Peter freeze. "Yeah, I have feelings, you know. I'm not made of stone. I know when something is wrong and when it has to do with my friend I want to know so I can help."

"Just . . ." Peter tried to say. "Just leave me _alone._ " He made a move to go back inside but she stood in his way again.

"You shouldn't have to go through whatever it is that you won't tell me _alone,_ " MJ said. "It may or may not seem like it but I've been through some deep shit in my life and I know what it feels like. I don't want you to make the same mistake I did, which emotionally destroyed me. I'm not letting you bottle everything up and have it erupt later in life when you could exhale right now and let yourself be in pain and let yourself talk."

Tears were burning Peter's eyes by the time she finished. "MJ . . . I . . ." A sob tore through him and he pressed his fingers over his eyes to try to staunch the tear flow.

She didn't hug him or put her hand on his shoulder like Ned or Tony or May. She stood there silently, and waited for his tears to come to a halt.

"What is it, Peter?" she asked after a minute.

He almost told Tony on Friday.

He almost told MJ today.

But instead he sprinted past her to the bathroom, where he proceeded to cry in peace.

-

When Wednesday came, Reilly was supposed to drive Peter to school, which he definitely did not end up doing.

Peter went to grab his lunch but his wrist was grabbed mid-motion tightly, hard enough to bruise. Peter yelped and tried to jerk his hand away.

"Leave that here," Reilly hissed. "You don't deserve it." He threw Peter against the wall and his shoulder collided painfully with it, sending a sharp pain through his skin.

"Please," Peter whimpered.

Reilly barked a dry, bitter laugh. "I should be beating your weak ass right now."

Heart pounding, Peter put on his shoes and jacket and dashed out the door, scooping his backpack into his arms on the way out. He was not looking forward to the hour long walk ahead of him, and did not have the energy to do so.

He wanted to call Tony and ask him for a ride.

_Burden._

He ended up walking to Delmar's and just sitting in there, staring miserably at the table, dreading the night to come.

"Hey kid, you good?" Mr. Delmar called from over the counter.

Peter nodded. "Yeah. I just don't feel like going to school today."

"I know how that feels," Mr. Delmar said. "Do you want anything?"

"I forgot my money," Peter said with a sigh, even though he had just gotten his paycheck from Tony a couple of days prior.

"I could hook you up with something," Mr. Delmar said and Peter looked up at him. "You come here nearly every day. It's the least I could do. Also you don't look so great."

"You don't need to do that," Peter said.

"Well I am."

Soon his usual sandwich was sitting on the table in front of him with a bag of gummy worms. "Thank you so much," Peter said, eternally grateful. He bit into the sandwich and devoured it in record time and shoved the gummy worms in his bag for later.

His phone buzzed with a text from Ned.

Ned/ where r u

Peter/ sick :(

Ned/ ah that sucks. feel better soon :)

Peter/ thx buddy :)

-

When it came time for him to go to the tower to see Tony, Peter wasn't sure what he was going to do.

He had hung out in the public library all day, doing random stuff, and didn't know how he was supposed to explain to Tony that he had skipped an entire day of school.

He ended up calling Tony and asking him to come to the library to pick him up.

"What? Why?" Tony said, extremely confused.

"I didn't want to go to last block so I skipped," Peter laughed.

"I don't think I've ever heard of an instance where you've skipped," Tony said skeptically.

"First time for everything," Peter said.

Tony sighed. "Alright, I'll pick you up there."

"Thank you!"

Ten minutes later, Peter watched the Audi slide into the parking lot and walked down the sidewalk towards it, quite hungry from not having a lunch all day.

"Look who it is," Tony said as Peter opened the door. "It's the kid."

"Hi," Peter said.

They made light conversation on the ride to the tower and in the lab until Tony stopped abruptly and clapped his hand on Peter's shoulder. "Kiddo, we should talk."

Peter's grip tightened on the robotic appliance he was holding. "O-okay? About what?"

"I was waiting until you decided to say something about it, but you never did," Tony said with a sigh. "When you called me to pick you up and have FRIDAY scan you for a cracked rib, that was all she was programmed to say right then since that's all you asked for. I looked at the scan later, don't ask why, and there were a lot of bruises scattered all over your chest, stomach, and shoulders."

Peter's blood went cold. "O-oh?"

"Don't give me that," Tony said firmly. "What is going on? Is that Flash idiot _hurting_ you now?"

_Don't say anything._

_DON'T. SAY. ANYTHING._

_You don't deserve to be alive._

_You're **nothing.**_

"I just really banged myself up falling down the stairs," Peter said with a forced laugh. _Lies._

"Oh," Tony said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," Peter said. It was the biggest lie he'd ever told.

"Do you want a hug?" Tony offered, and Peter nodded. When the man's arms wrapped around him, he sank into the embrace, pulling every strand of comfort and affection out of it as possible. He had been starved of this. He needed this gentleness.

It scared Peter how easily lies were spilling out of him. All he was trying to do was protect May.

But she didn't want him.

She didn't want him _alive._

Yet he still said nothing, and when he got home, awaited the terrible night to come.

-

His door cracked open at 12:15 am and the light was quickly blocked out by Reilly's form. Peter's heart rate picked up and he pressed himself against the back of his bed-frame, his breathing shallowing.

Before he could move, Reilly was across the room, yanking him out of the bed and hurling him across the floor, sending him tumbling a couple feet, landing hard on his arm, before he was kicked numerous times. He was utterly heartbroken to realize that he was used to this and that it didn't hurt as much as it used to. He had never done anything to stop it.

Peter tried to roll away when Reilly attempted to kick him again, but that wound up having Reilly pin his body to the floor with his arm as he brought his fist down against Peter's stomach and a heavy breath was driven out of Peter's lungs.

"You keep disobeying me, Peter," Reilly hissed, his face inches from the teenager's. "What good is a disobedient child? Do you really want me to start doing this to May?"

"You wouldn't dare," Peter choked out, tears entering his eyes.

"Then you better start listening to me," Reilly said, pushing Peter's head against the floor.

Once he left, Peter lay on the floor with only his tears and thoughts to accompany him as he tried to process what Reilly had just said. It was like a nightmare becoming reality and a thought being alive and all the horrible things in like coming at him at top speed and . . .

Reilly threatened May.

The woman who was in love with him.

The woman who he loved.

One of the best people in Peter's life.

He threatened her.

This was it.

This was the breaking point.

Peter shakily stood up, grabbed his phone and a twenty, and wobbled out of his room, out the apartment, without even bothering to put on shoes and a jacket.  
  
He opened the Uber app on his phone and called one, his hands fidgeting as he waited for five minutes before the car pulled up.  
  
"Hey," the driver said. "So, where to?"  
  
"Avengers Tower," Peter said.  
  
"What?" the driver said, turning around.  
  
"Avengers Tower, please," Peter repeated.  
  
"Okay," the driver said and without another word took off down the street.  
  
From Peter's apartment, it was about a five minute drive to the tower.  
  
When the driver pulled to a stop right by the curb, Peter handed him the twenty and exited the vehicle with a polite thank you.  
  
He watched the car peel down the street and out of eyesight.  
  
Peter drew in a shaky breath and walked up to the door.  
  
"FRIDAY? It's Peter," he said nervously. His hands were trembling under the weight of all the stress and fear.  
  
"Hi, Peter," the AI said. "It's late."  
  
"I- I know. Can you take me to Tony please?" he asked.  
  
"Sure. Boss is currently awake in the lab working."  
  
"Take me there please."  
  
The door opened and Peter walked towards the elevator and stepped inside. "Lab please."  
  
The moment the door opened, Tony was just turning the corner, wearing a hoodie and sweatpants, one of the most casual outfits Peter had ever seen him wear.  
  
"Kid?" Tony said, disbelievingly.  
  
"Tony, I- I need your help."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger, huh?
> 
> I'll see you around on Monday or Tuesday when I post the last chapter :)
> 
> Also I saw How To Train Your Dragon 3 and DUDE. The animation blew me away and it was super adorable. I recommend it.


	7. It Doesn't Make You Weak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty sure y'all are gonna like this chapter. I edited it a bunch of times and now I have it just the way i like it <3

Tony's expression morphed into one of worry and fear. "Are you okay? What's going on?"

"I- I have to tell you something," Peter whispered, tears already building in his eyes.

"Pete, come sit down." Tony slid his arm around Peter's shoulders and lead him into the lab and onto the working bench. "Okay. What's going on?"

"O-okay," Peter said, his hands shaking and his palms becoming sweaty. "I- I lied to you."

"Okay, when?"

"The last time I was here," Peter said, bottom lip quivering under the weight of unshed tears.

"What did you lie about?" Tony pushed gently.

"The- the bruises FRIDAY scanned on me," Peter whispered. His vision blurred from the tears burning in his eyes. "They weren't from what I said."

"What were they from?" Tony's voice sounded undoubtedly worried.

_You're a burden._

_Worthless waste of skin._

"They're- they're from . . ." Peter's mouth went dry as he trailed off and all the verbal abuse he had taken in played through his head.

_You don't deserve to be alive._

In the softest voice Peter had ever heard come from the billionaire, Tony said, "Peter?"

_DON'T. TELL. ANYONE._

Tears spilled over his eyes and fell down his cheeks. "Reilly."

"Oh my god," Tony whispered. "Peter, this guy is hurting you?"

_He could hurt May._

Peter bit his lip and nodded and a sob ejected from his mouth and he buried his face in his hands.

A pair of arms were then encircling his body and he couldn't help but sob again as he was enveloped in Tony's strong, safe arms. He sobbed loudly and didn't stop. He didn't realize how much he needed this until this moment. He didn't realize how much he needed to cry in the arms of someone he trusted. So he let everything loose and sobbed against Tony's chest while the man hugged him tightly.

"I gotcha," Tony whispered. And it was so true. He was safe. He didn't have to worry about what Reilly might do to him. He was surrounded by the warmth of the person who he'd grown to appreciate so much. Peter choked on a sob and squeezed Tony tighter.

Peter had known Tony almost as long as he'd known Ned. This man had helped his aunt from the moment they met. This man had helped him build a Lego ship when he was shy and still hurt from his uncle's death. They'd hugged before but none of them felt as emotional as this one. Tony was one of the only people Peter trusted, since his trust wasn't high to begin with, but since Reilly, it had decreased dramatically.

He _needed_ Tony.

And from what he'd witnessed, every time they reunited after long periods of time, the strong, tight hugs that nearly brought Peter to tears, the huge smiles and the look in Tony's eyes, Tony needed him too.

He had helped May, the most important person in Peter's life, by giving her both his support emotionally and financially, with thousands of dollars every month.

He was so ashamed that he didn't tell Tony sooner and was only now just realizing how much he needed to get it off his chest and let everything out while Tony held him tight in his strong arms.

When Peter finally pushed away, his eyes met Tony's and he'd never seen such worry and concern in the man's eyes.

"Peter, oh my god," Tony said softly, cupping Peter's cheeks in his hands and brushing his thumbs across them and taking away any more tears, the gesture so paternal Peter wanted to lose it all over again. "How long has this been going on for?"

"Since about a week after he started seeing May," Peter said quietly and Tony wiped away some more tears.

"I knew something was going on," he said softly.

"You were right," Peter sobbed. "I'm sorry. I should have told you. I'm weak."

"You're not weak," Tony said gently. "You're anything but weak."

"I was just so scared that he might hurt May," Peter sniveled, slowly placing his hand against one of Tony's that was still against his cheek.

"Every time you cried, it was because . . ." He trailed off and Peter nodded, two more tears sliding down his face which Tony thumbed away.

"I'm so sorry," Peter choked out and collapsed against Tony again, his body heaving with sobs.

"Don't be sorry," Tony whispered, embracing Peter even tighter than before. "You have nothing to be sorry about."

"I- I should have done something," Peter cried.

"What exactly does he do to you?" Tony asked.

A strangled sob escaped. "Punches me, kicks me, pushes me into walls, tells me I'm useless or a burden or that-" he choked on a sob "-or that May doesn't want me."

"Good god," Tony muttered.

"I just _let it happen,_ Tony. I didn't do anything! It's all my fault!"

Tony just shushed him and rested the side of his face against the top of Peter's head. "Kid, _Peter_ , you understand how serious this is, correct?"

Peter sniveled and nodded against Tony's chest.

"I'm going to contact the police and have him arrested."

Peter opened his mouth to protest, but then realized he wanted that. He wanted Reilly out of both his and May's life forever, never to hurt anyone again.

"Okay," Peter whispered. "Okay, yeah. Do that."

Tony stroked Peter's hair softly.  
  
"I'll make sure that motherfucker is out of your way for the rest of his goddamn life," Tony said, releasing to hold Peter's shoulders at arm's length.

After a second, Tony said, "Did I ever tell you about my father?"

Peter shook his head.

"He wasn't . . . nice," Tony said with a sigh. "Once, I screwed something up, set something on fire accidently. He was already in a bad mood, since he had just been drinking. And he yelled at me and then he . . . hit me."

Peter breath hitched in his throat.

"And that day I know I'll never forget," Tony said. "Feeling like I was worth nothing because why else would he hit me? I know how you feel, kiddo. I've been through the same shit you have and I always used to blame myself, and still do sometimes, but you have to realize that these things aren't your fault."

A tear rolled down Peter's face and he wiped it away quickly. "I'm sorry about that."

"Thanks, Pete," Tony said with a little smile.

"Tony . . . I . . . I'm so sorry I lied to you. You probably hate me."

For a second, Tony looked like he might cry. "Peter," he whispered, softly placing his hand on Peter's cheek. "There is no universe where I could hate you. God, Peter you are like a son to me. My father never once told me he loved me. Hell, he never even told me he liked me. But I'm telling you now, right now, that I love you."

Peter broke down in tears again and Tony reached out to hug him. "I- I love you too," Peter sobbed out.

All the pain, physical and emotional, had got to him more than Peter realized.

Months of being beaten every night and being told that he was worthless and that nobody loved him . . .

He had started to believe that.

And now with Tony telling him that he loved him like a son, he almost didn't believe it.

"And don't you listen to all the fucked up things he said to you," Tony said softly. "May loves you. I love you. Ned loves you. You're not worthless or a burden or a waste of skin. You're Peter Parker, and I can tell you no one else would ever use those words to describe you." He stroked Peter's hair. "That I can promise you."

Peter sobbed in relief and clung to Tony like a lifeline.

When the sobs faded into snivels, Peter pulled away and wiped his face down with the backs of his hands. "Thank you, Tony," he whispered. "Thank you so much."

"God, Pete, why didn't you ask for help sooner?"

"I . . . I didn't want to be weak," Peter whispered. "I didn't want to run to Iron Man for help."

"Peter," Tony said softly. "Buddy, asking for help doesn't make you weak. You were right to come to me."

"I'm so scared," Peter whimpered, tears leaking from his eyes.

Tony looked like he might cry again. "I know," he said, rubbing Peter's arm. "I know you are."

"I just want to feel safe again," Peter whispered, barely audible.

"And you will," Tony reassured. "You will."

"Thank you so much, Tony," Peter whispered.

Tony patted Peter's shoulder in response. "I'm gonna call the police now, okay?"

This was going to end.

All these months of abuse was finally going to _end._

Clearly Tony wanted to march down to the apartment and kill Reilly, but they both new that wasn't a good idea.

So Peter just nodded. "Yeah. Okay."

-

"Hello?" Tony said over the phone. "Hi. I'd like to report a case of child abuse."

The words stung.

_Child abuse._

Tony spoke on the phone for about thirty seconds, giving the police details and the location of Peter's apartment.

Tony clicked a button on his phone and turned to Peter. "It's done."

Peter smiled and let out a relieved laugh as tears pricked his eyes.

-

Peter got a call from May about twenty-five minutes after Tony had called the police.

"May, I-" He stopped abruptly.

She was crying. "Peter, honey."

"May, I'm so sorry," Peter said, immediately crying himself. "I'm so sorry."

"Oh my god," May sobbed. 

"I'm so sorry," Peter said, sobbing himself. "I was just trying to protect you."

May choked on a sob. "Come home. Please, sweetheart. Reilly's gone. They took him away."

"T-tony was the one who called," Peter said. "I- I told him. I'm there right now."

"Both of you, come home," May said with a snivel.

"Okay," Peter said. "I love you so much."

"I love you to, honey."

Peter hung up and wiped his face again. He had cried so much today it wasn't even funny. Before this whole ordeal with Reilly started, he had never cried in front of Tony. There had been occasions where he almost had, but he never let tars drip from his eyes and sobs rattle his form until this happened. He felt like a weak loser for crying so much, but the realized that he wasn't alone in this anymore. Tony helped him. Tony _saved_ him.

"Kiddo," Tony said gently, drawing him into a hug. "It's okay."

Peter sniveled and wrapped his arms around the billionaire's torso. "M-May wants us both to come back to the apartment."

Tony nodded. "Okay. Let's do that then."

-

When they arrived, May opened the door and without hesitation yanked Peter into a hug. "Peter," she whispered.

"I'm sorry, May," Peter said, squeezing her tight.

"Shut up with the sorries," she said.

When they released, she turned to Tony and hugged him too. He reciprocated instantly, wrapping his arms around her middle and holding her tightly. "Thank you," she said to him. "Thank you for everything."

"Of course," Tony said. "Anything."

When 3:00 am rolled around, and no one was tired at all, Tony stood up and brushed off his pants. "I'll make sure that asshole gets as much punishment as possible," Tony said. "I promise you both."

"Tony, I can't thank you enough," May said. "For everything you've ever done for us."

"No need," Tony said, waving his hand. "You're both important to me."

When he stood up from the couch and started to walk towards the door, Peter squeaked out, "Wait!"

Tony turned and Peter ran up to him and gave him the biggest hug he'd ever given anyone in his life, throwing his arms around his shoulders and burying his face into his chest. Tony let out a breathless laugh when Peter slammed into him and hugged him back just as tightly.

"Thank you, thank you," Peter sputtered. "You mean so much to me, you have no idea."

"You mean a lot to me too, kiddo," Tony said.

"B-but, Tony, you don't even know," Peter said. "You don't understand how much you've done for both of us and how many times you've pulled me out of a bad mood and how many times I cried when I thought you were going to die. You're like . . . you're like my dad."

"Pete, you are the son I never had."

"I . . . I've spent my life being sad about everyone I had lost in my life, but the father-figure I needed was there all along, and I didn't even know it," Peter said softly. "Thank you so much for everything." He'd said that about a hundred times but it needed to be heard.

Tony tightened his hold and rested the side of his face against the top of Peter's head in his curly, untamed hair. "You are going to make me cry, kid," Tony said.

"I won't judge," Peter said and Tony laughed.

"I'm not gonna, but still," Tony said. 

Peter choked on a sob. This wasn't a sadness one though. "I don't think I'm ever going to be able to repay you," Peter said.

"You don't have to, ever," Tony responded. "I'm completely happy to do things for you both, especially if it's to keep you safe."

_Safe._

Peter was _safe._

And he could never feel more safe in the arms of Iron Man.

In the arms of Tony Stark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The response I've been getting is wonderful. Thank you all so much! My inbox has been filled with nothing but love. <33
> 
> Fun fact: That line that Tony said "I've been through the same shit you have and I always used to blame myself, and still do sometimes, but you have to realize that these things aren't your fault" is nearly the exact same as to what my friend said to me once about one of my personal issues. 
> 
> If you need help, don't hesitate to speak up <3

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a review. i love reading them <33
> 
> Also I got an Instagram! It has like 0 followers lol because it's new. You should follow me @parker_at_heart


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